My sweet Godson, Baby C, turned one a couple of weeks ago. We had his birthday party this past weekend, and T asked me to make his Smash Cake and Cupcakes, which I was honored to do. The theme for his party, as i mentioned in the post of the Mexican Layer Dip, was Construction, so construction trucks adorned the tops of all things cake. His Smash Cake was chocolate with vanilla buttercream, and the cupcakes were a combination of vanilla and chocolate with vanilla buttercream. Those recipes will follow in the next few days.
The party was so much fun, and I still can’t believe that my sweet little baby boy is getting so big! I can’t even imagine how I will feel when I have little ones of my own. Yikes, I’ll be a basketcase! Who wouldn’t love this sweet face?
This was my first attempt at decorating a cake without being in a class, and because of poor time management (I had to put together all the layer dip cups, frost the cupcakes, and the cake), the icing was a little too soft and difficult to work with. Or maybe it was just me being flustered…
Anyhow, the cake was a bit hit, and even though the birthday boy was ready for a nap by cake time, he was a good sport for a few minutes so we could get some pictures.
Chocolate Construction Smash Cake
Cake recipe from Obsessed With Baking, Originally from Hershey’s
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
Preparation
- Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. (I used a 6-inch round pan for this cake)
- Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.
- Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water. Pour batter into prepared pans.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes (I cooked the 6-inch for 22 minutes) or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely before frosting.
(Frosting recipe to follow tomorrow)
For decorations:
Cake Board (I used an 8″ board)
Decorative Caution Tape
Green food color
Construction Truck
Oreos (or other sandwich) cookies
- Wrap caution tape around cake board so that no white shows through. Use tape to adhere to the bottom of the board. Place a dollop of icing on the prepared cake board before centering the cake on the board. Frost the cake with vanilla buttercream and smooth top first and then sides with an edger. Using a star tip, apply a decorative edge along the bottom of the cake (even with the cake board).
- Apply food green food coloring to 1/2 cup frosting until desired color is reached (8-10 drops). Using a star-tip, apply frosting to create “grass”. Place construction truck on top of the “grass”.
- Put Oreos (I only used 1 for this cake) in a plastic bag, and crush with a rolling pin or other heavy object. Pour crushed cookie “dirt” in front of and on the construction truck
Great job!